Codename
by Tex-chan
Summary: Being snowed in is never easy, but Nagi discovers it's especially difficult when you're a member of Schwartz who has to share computer time with your teammates. Luckily for him, Nagi has his own, special way of coping with the obstacles life gives him.


_**Summary:** Being snowed in is never easy, but it's especially difficult if you're a member of Schwartz and you have to share computer time with the rest of your team. Nagi manages to overcome these obstacles and have a bit of fun at the same time -- in his own, special way._

_**Author's Notes:** Another little ficlet response to a writing challenge. The challenge: "Nagi" and "Gimcrack"._

_I had to look up the word "gimcrack" before writing this ficlet. So, in case anyone else is wondering (like I was) what it means, here's a definition: 1. A showy, useless trifle; gewgaw (noun); 2. Showy but useless (adjective)_

_This fic is dedicated to my dear friend Keeper/Lady Vitani, because she is such a sweet and wonderful friend, because she loves Nagi, and because she has to share computer time._

_**Legal Stuff:** As always, this story is intended to express one fan's genuine appreciation of Weiss Kreuz and its characters. It is just for fun and not for profit. If you have any rights in the anime described here and find the posting of this fanfiction offensive or harmful, please contact me, and I will be happy to remove it._

**Codename**

Nagi sighed as he stared out the window. He leaned his head against the cold glass and let the warmth of his breath create a moist, misty fog, while he gazed at the snow-covered park across the street. It had been snowing nonstop for three days, and the sky outside was gray and cloudy, promising no break in the winter weather. The fluffy flakes continued to march down from the sky, like tiny sentries, obliterating everything in their path and covering the whole world with a blanket of icy white. The world looked cold, and Nagi shivered a little as the chill from the window's glass seeped through the warmth of his skin.

He felt melancholy, and he wasn't sure why. It would have been easy to blame the weather, but Nagi knew better. He loved winter, and, if he hadn't had a mountain of schoolwork to do, he would have been across the street in the park, playing in the snow -- no matter how much Schuldig might have teased him for it. Sure, he was a member of Schwarz, and he could more than hold his own within the group and on any of their missions. But, at the same time, he was still fifteen, which meant that, sometimes, he wanted to act like a normal teenager. Hanging out at the mall with friends was pretty much out for him, but he could still play in the snow every once in a while.

Well, provided he didn't have more homework than it was humanly possible to do, that is.

Maybe that was the source of his blue mood, Nagi considered. They had been snowed in for two days now, but his load of work hadn't let up in the least, thanks to his teacher's ability to post assignments on the Internet. Nagi mentally cursed the moron who had come up with that brilliant idea. He would have liked to bury that person under something heavy -- quite literally.

A low cackle of glee drew Nagi's attention away from the scenery outside the window and toward the far corner of the room, where Schuldig sat in front of Schwarz's computer. He looked content and comfortable, sitting cross-legged in the computer chair with his attention riveted on the monitor in front of him. Every so often, he would peck at one or two of the keys and laugh under his breath.

Farfarello stood behind him, leaning over the back of the chair. He didn't laugh or react to anything Shuldig showed him on the monitor. But, all the same, his attention was riveted on the computer screen, like a cat eyeing its favorite feather toy.

Nagi frowned at his two teammates. It might have been a touching scene -- bordering on homey, or as close to "homey" as Schwarz ever got, that is -- if he hadn't known the two of them were up to no good. Any time both Schuldig and Farfarello managed to become that interested in something … well, the rest of the world had better head off and find a nice, safe hiding place. Those two could be a little scary when they decided to start playing their "pranks".

Not that Nagi cared about that, one way or the other. He was powerful enough to have earned his teammates' respect, which meant they would never try anything on him. What they did to the rest of the world wasn't his business. But, the fact that Schuldig was at least thirty minutes over his allotted computer time did bother Nagi. It bothered him a lot, because it meant he had to wait to get his homework assignments, which, in turn, meant more time spent cooped up indoors when he wanted to be outside, enjoying the snow.

Nagi leaned back, away from the window enough that he could just glimpse the scene on the computer monitor. He rolled his eyes as he saw two of the Weiss members -- Abyssinian and Balinese -- outside their flower shop on the other side of town. As Nagi watched, Schuldig clicked at the keys, and, in response, Balinese scooped up two handfuls of snow and put them down Abyssinian's shirt. This prompted another cackle from Schuldig, telling Nagi he was using the computer to boost his mental powers in order to engage in one of his favorite pastimes -- bothering Weiss's field leader.

Nagi rolled his eyes again, glaring at the ceiling above him as if it could tell him why his teammate had to be so ridiculously childish. And, to top it all off, it was a total waste of computer time. It would almost have been better if Schuldig had been surfing for porn, as usual, instead of using his powers for something so stupid.

Another glee-filled cackle prompted Nagi to state, "You're over your time. I need to use the computer."

His voice, as always, was soft and nearly inflectionless. But, the underlying tone of irritation was there, for anyone who knew him well enough to recognize it. And, Schuldig knew him well enough. Nagi saw Schuldig's hands hesitate over the keyboard for a second, as if he were trying to decide just how irritated Nagi was -- and just how far he could push things.

"Oh, come one, Nagi-kins," Schuldig drawled. "Just a few more minutes. I'm bored, and this is fun."

Farfarello turned from the computer and gave Nagi one of his oddly unnerving, unblinking stares, as if to silently second Schuldig's statement. After a moment, he turned back to watch as Schuldig made Balinese stumble and run into Abyssinian, knocking the red-haired man into a deep snow drift.

"No," Nagi replied, still glaring at his two teammates. "Enough is enough. You're already thirty minutes over, and some of us have actual work to do."

Schuldig didn't respond, other than to wave his hand in Nagi's general direction -- an irritated, impatient gesture indicating he wanted to be left alone.

Nagi's glare intensified as he concentrated on a shiny, crystal pin attached to Schuldig's headband. Schuldig had an almost magpie-like attraction to anything shiny or fancy, and the pin was a recent acquisition. He seemed particularly fond of it; Nagi hadn't once seen him without the pin in the three weeks since he had brought it home from some antique jewelry store downtown.

In response to Nagi's mental command, the pin jerked off of Schuldig's headband to hover over his head for a moment before floating around to hang just in front of his face. Schuldig didn't notice it at first; he was too riveted on the action playing out on the computer monitor. But, it didn't take long for him to realize his new favorite possession was under Nagi's control and dangling precariously in the air.

Schuldig grabbed for the pin, but, just as his fingers were about to close around it, Nagi jerked it out of reach. Schuldig went after it, still trying to grab it out of the air. He leaned too far over, and fell out of the computer chair, landing on the floor with an undignified thudding sound that prompted a snicker from Farfarello.

Schuldig glared at his Irish teammate, but said nothing. He picked himself up off the floor and, once again, reached for his pin. Just as he was about to grab it, it floated away from him, seeming to dance through the air, away from the computer. Schuldig seemed intently focused on the trinket, following it like a horse would follow a carrot dangling on a string. Each time he thought he had it, the pin would jerk just out of reach.

The fun didn't last more than a couple of seconds, but it was long enough to lure Schuldig away from the computer, as well as giving Nagi the brief satisfaction of watching his teammate dance around like a puppet on a string. He couldn't help smirking just a little as he watched Schuldig chase the pin around the room. There was something immensely satisfying about forcing the Mastermind to do his bidding, even if it was only for a moment or two. Maybe it was because Schuldig played with others' minds so effortlessly; it seemed only fair he should have the same done to him every so often. Nagi didn't try to analyze the reasons behind it, though. He just enjoyed the moment, feeling his melancholy mood lift ever so slightly.

"NAGI!" Schuldig yelled, after a few seconds. He turned to give Nagi a feral, murderous glare as he continued, "GIVE IT BACK!"

"Oh, come one, Schu-Schu," Nagi replied, his voice calm, even, and almost toneless. "Just a few more minutes. I'm bored, and this is fun."

Schuldig cursed under his breath, unhappy at having his own words tossed back at him that way.

Before he could answer, the sound of a newspaper rustling drew everyone's attention toward the sofa just a few feet away, where Crawford had been sitting, quietly reading and ignoring the rest of his team. Nagi, Schuldig, and Farfarello all turned toward the noise to find their leader glaring at them over the down-turned corner of his paper.

"Nagi, that's enough. Schuldig, your computer time is over. Go find something else to do. Maybe you and Farfarello can play Twister, or something," Crawford ordered, his voice taking on the tone of borderline irritation one would expect to hear from a mother scolding her over-active toddler -- or a man who has spent two days moderating childish fights among a group of snowed-in, bored assassins.

"Fine," Nagi said, shrugging as if to indicate the entire incident didn't matter to him.

As he slid into the now-vacated computer chair and clicked the keys to switch the onscreen scene from Weiss to the Internet, he dropped the pin into the palm of Schuldig's outstretched hand.

"It's not like it matters, anyhow," Nagi commented. His eyes met Schuldig's, reflected in the computer monitor. "It's just a silly gimcrack. Kind of like its owner," he said, with a ghost of a smile.

Nagi could almost hear the wheels turning in Schuldig's head as they stared at each other through the reflection on the computer screen. He knew Schuldig could sense the veiled insult from the tone in his voice, but he also knew Schuldig didn't know what that word meant.

"What did you call me?" Schuldig asked, his tone becoming strident and demanding.

"A gimcrack," Nagi replied, shrugging as if to indicate that anyone, of course, should know what that meant.

"What the hell is that?" Schuldig asked.

"You don't know?" Nagi replied, his tone taking on a note of horror and surprise.

"Bradley! Nagi called me a name," Schuldig stated, turning toward their leader for assistance.

Crawford had, once again, retreated behind his newspaper. He didn't bother looking at his teammates, but his voice floated out at them from behind the paper wall separating him from the rest of the room.

"Yes, I heard. I think it's pretty fitting, too."

"You know what that means?" Schuldig asked, his tone incredulous.

"Of course. Doesn't everyone?" Crawford replied from behind the newspaper.

"Do you know what it means?" Schuldig asked, turning to Farfarello, who returned the glance with one of his unnerving stares.

"Gimcracks hurt God," Farfarello replied, his tone low and deadly serious.

Schuldig groaned and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. "Why did I even bother asking you?" he muttered, under his breath. "Just you wait. I'll get you for that," he snarled, giving Nagi a last, passing glance before stalking from the room.

Farfarello paused for a moment or two, glancing from Nagi, who seemed completely intent and involved in his homework assignment, to Crawford, who was engrossed in his newspaper. After seeming to consider the situation for a bit, Farfarello shrugged and followed Schuldig.

Peace and quiet descended on the room, broken only by the sounds of Nagi's fingers clicking over the keyboard and the occasional rustle of Crawford's paper as he turned a page. It stayed like that for a few long minutes, until Crawford's voice broke the silence.

"Gimcrack, huh? That would have been a good codename for him. Pity we're already stuck with Mastermind."

Nagi chuckled under his breath and continued typing. Maybe being snowed in wasn't so bad, after all.

**end**


End file.
